If you ask 7-year-old Miguel Torres what types of books he likes to read, without hesitation he will tell you, “anything about animals, especially dogs.”

For 7-year-old Samantha Salinas, the answer is “scary stories,” such as books about Halloween.

These two first-grade students are among many at Tracy’s South/West Park School who have been developing a growing love of reading, despite the many challenges they have while learning English as a second language.

“One of our biggest obstacles is our students’ access to books,” Principal Ramona Soto said. “And I’m not talking about a variety of books to read, but rather access to the actual books themselves.”

Soto said that the school does all it can to alleviate the problem.

“We try to provide as many resources as possible. Often that involves our primary students bringing books home from the library in zip-lock bags,” she said. “We try to get each student into the library at least every other week. Newspapers can also be a tremendous resource. But more than anything we just want to get them access to the materials.”

First-grade teacher Mary Torres said that another key to sparking an early love of reading is matching up the right book with the right child.

“Not everyone likes to read the same thing. Because I am older, when I went to school you had no other choice but to read what everyone else was reading,” she said. “Now even our general reading materials have a variety of stories that appeal to a wide range of students.”

She said that her students enjoy topics ranging from “funny and adventurous” to “sad and heartwarming,” especially “if it relates to an important event in their real life, like moving.”

Torres added that parental involvement is also crucial, even if those parents have little understanding of English.

“Parents are extremely important to the reading process, no matter the circumstances,” she said. “Even if they can’t read themselves, if a parent shows interest in what a child is reading, or has that child read to them, it provides a lot of positive encouragement.”

To that end, South/West students often are required to have their parents sign “reading logs,” stating that the child has read for a certain period of time at home.

Torres assures parents that the extra effort will be worth it in the end.

“You can see the flicker of light in their face when they realize they can read,” she said. “It’s something special to see.”

More in News

SAN JOSE -- Ten homes near the San Jose Country Club were evacuated Monday after grenades were found at an estate sale, according to the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office. The explosives were reported on the 300 block of Gordon Avenue near Greenside Drive about 4:10 p.m., said Sgt. Rich Glennon Get breaking news with our free mobile app. Get...

The seven adult children of David and Louise Turpin, the couple accused of abusing and imprisoning them for years at their Perris home, have been released from the hospital, their attorney said Monday.